The Adventures of a Christian Mom, Grandma and cancer surviver!

Well we got the ‘official’ call – nephew is coming; good news is: it’s not the original 9 days, now it’s from Thurs. evening to Sunday morning (that’s better, right?) His Mom said he really wants to come home so she’s going to surprise him and drive up to the college & pick him up; he’ll be home from Saturday to the following Thurs. when we come into the show. I’ve started the ‘clean the house’ program; yesterday I attacked the room he’ll be sleeping in, ordered new window shades (they really needed it) and freed up a few drawers for him. Today was the ‘attack under the baby grand piano’ thing. What, you ask? Let’s just say our house is VERY small and there is virtually no extra room to store anything (that applies mostly because husband will NOT get rid of ANYTHING! We’re talking old magazines, books, etc. to the point where I had to find a solution for this mess – AH! Under the piano! Well, let’s just say there are boxes there that I’d totally forgot about – old toys my middle son used to play with: Gundam/Dragon Ball Z/Micromachines/cars & trucks/army guys & their trucks, jeeps, etc. – TONS of STUFF! There was one box that was chock-full of nothing but teeny-tiny toys: tiny army men, micromachines, all sorts of ‘equipment’ for army guys (guns, machine guns, plastic barbed wire, tiny grenades, etc.). Let’s just say there are now BAGS of various items, sorted by lot: ARMY, micromachines, cars & trucks, Jurasic Park, etc. Yes, I’m fully aware I could probably make some $$$ if we sold some of them – for now they’re going into new storage containers and probably upstairs (IF I can find some room there!) UGH! I’ve spent a good 2-3 hours just cleaning & going through all that – there’s still a good 2-3 boxes of magazines! UGH! (yes, I could just shove them back under there but the boxes they were in have long-since broken, so it’s find new boxes, re-pack, etc. . . . . CALGON TAKE ME AWAY! (My husband, of course, thinks I’m nuts – why bother with all that? It’s been driving me nuts for years, this is just an excuse to do something about it!)

*You can substitute any canned fruits
or apple pie filling – any kind of canned
fruit that has syrup with it.

(recipe: Courtney Luper – Facebook)
=========================

Our weather is gorgeous (if you don’t go
outside!) – the sun is shining brightly.
Just looked at the National Weather
Service for our area: 18 degrees F,
wind chill 6 degrees F. – not too bad,
no big winds; still glad I really don’t
have to go out, though! Looks like
tonight we have a 60% chance of
snow, less than an inch (no biggie).

Well, friends, as you know LIFE changes all the time and yesterday was a ‘new’ adventure for us: we got a call asking if we would ‘house’ our nephew for a little over a week. He’s from Minnesota but going to college in Michigan; his school does something I really think is WRONG! When they have a school break (ie: Christmas, Easter, SPRING BREAK) they make all the kids leave the school EVEN IF they are from out of state! This happened a few months ago and my sister-in-law was suddenly pressed to find a place to house him for 3 days with almost no notice! (He ended up staying with a cousin here in Mich. but this time it’s a longer stay). You guessed it – now that our middle son has moved out, she asked US. This might sound very strange but I have NEVER actually MET this boy! (He’s 18, they’ve lived in Florida and Minnesota, so we’ve never really ‘connected’). This will be an ‘experience’ for ALL of us! I’ve been making lists of things I need to get done before he comes (buy an extra blanket for the bed/maybe an extra pillow, clean the house A LOT!, etc.) My mind is constantly rushing to things like: what does he like to eat? What will he DO for over a week here? (it’s not like we’re ‘company prepared’! We don’t go anywhere!) I presented the option to my husband of (maybe) taking him to see the new aquarium at our local mall – it just opened last month and is supposed to be really spectacular (I was shocked at the prices: $23.50 per person, so you know it’s not going to be a cheap adventure – we’ll see.) I would say he could ‘hang out’ with my boys BUT youngest is never home, middle lives away & works, oldest works & when he isn’t working he’s with his son – so that might not happen. I might ask if he snowboards or skis – oldest son loves going snowboarding/skiing – we’ll see. Yes, I’m a HERMIT! I’m NOT used to ANY company (even IF he is family!) – I just keep trying to convince myself: it’s a new ADVENTURE! It’s ONLY a little over a week! You’ll live through it!

Since we are experiencing such cold temperatures, I thought SOUP/STEW recipes might be just the ticket!

We’re in the deep freeze again – it’s supposed to get down to MINUS ten tonight; my partner in crime (our leader) in my special needs group decided that we haven’t been meeting due to the cold and will have one tonight – anyway! I’m not sure just how many of our group will show up, but it’s a “GO”, so looks like I get to drive & freeze with the rest of them!

Not much going on around here lately,
just mostly staying home & knitting,
watching a little TV (“Castle” or “Bones”) –
and the ever-anticipated “Downton
Abbey” (my all-time favorite! love the
costumes, the buildings, actors, etc.)

Like most of the nation, we’re still under really cold temperatures – amazingly, today it’s 15 degrees F. with only 5 degree wind chills, so it’s actually WARMER!

Woke up early (for me) – 6:40 a.m. – and decided to get working on the next issue of my special needs group’s newsletter; it’s pretty well all formatted, just needs a few more articles and I’ll be ready to print! (probably mailing Weds/Thurs. next week). Glad I’m ‘ahead of the game’, so to speak.

Also on my agenda for the day is baking Sunday School snacks for tomorrow. While at Kroger’s a few weeks ago I spotted boxes of Pillsbury Cranberry Muffin mix for $1.00 a box – going to make muffins, maybe some chocolate chip muffins (using choc. cake mix) – we’ll see.

(sort of like potato pancakes)2/3 C. cornmeal
1/3 C. self-rising flour1/3 C. buttermilk
1 large egg
oil, for frying
–
Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl;
mixing well; mixture should be very
moist but not soupy. Heat oil in skillet
& drop by spoonfuls into oil. Cook until
brown on one side, flip (like a pancake)
to brown other side. Place on paper
towel-covered plate to drain, blot any
excess oil.

Frosting:
1/4 C. sugar
2 C. heavy cream
1 (16 oz) box banana pudding mix
–
1 banana, sliced
–
While cupcakes are cooling, using a mixer
whip sugar & heavy cream about 1 minute
until light & fluffy. Add pudding mix; whip
until thick & creamy. Place a thin layer of
frosting on top of cupcakes, then place a
vanilla wafer in middle on top. Place a
little more frosting and top with a slice or
2 of banana.

*if you don’t have buttermilk:
pour 1 T. vinegar or lemon juice in a
2-Cup measuring cup and fill with
milk to reach 1 Cup. Stir & let set
5 minutes = now you have 1 cup
buttermilk.

**NOTE: To get cupcakes to rise with a
perfect round top, you have to cook them
a few minutes at a higher temperature,
then lower the temp. to cook the middle
fully, otherwise your cupcakes will be
flatter. (IF flatter cupcakes are what you
desire, bake 16-18 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Today is one of those “hurry up and wait” days – got a bill from one of the hospitals our son was in during December – amount owing was very large. I called the hospital and told them that this should all be covered with our insurance (mind you, much waiting on line BEFORE they answered). They check and tell me that Yes, the claim has been denied – what to do? She suggests I call the other insurance responsible for this portion of the bill, so I do. TWENTY-SOME MINUTES later, on hold the whole time, someone finally answers and tells me she has NO idea how I got to her, this line is for physicians ONLY! I convince her to transfer me over, get a lovely lady who checks it all out and tells me she has no idea about that bill because according to THEIR records, there is no claim submitted for those dates, at all! Now what? She suggests I call the hospital back and tell them that & give them the correct address for submitting the claim. (Yep – you guessed it, another 15 minutes or so on hold). Lady answers, tells me that she has no idea what I’m talking about, THEIR records show the first insurance company DENIED the claim – UGH! I just kept pressing/repeating the same thing over & over: That company states they have NO claim submitted!” Double UGH! Finally she relents and says that she’ll send it over to their billing department for review – WHEW! What a day! Crazy stuff! I can’t imagine what they thought I would do – this is no little bill – we’re talking large numbers! The company that would cover it said that we do not have a ceiling on our account (something the hospital said was the reason why it was denied: reached max level of coverage) – crazy! Insurance co. said she had no idea what they were meaning by reaching a max amount! (I guess it pays to be persistant, eh?) I can see us being libel for a certain amount above and beyond, but not THAT much!

Pour half of spaghetti sauce in bottom of
a 2 qt. baking dish; top with cooked
meatballs. Pour remaining sauce over
meatballs; top with shredded cheeses.
Cover with foil & bake an additional 5
minutes until cheeses are melted. Serve
as is, or with cooked pasta – also great
on a sub bun. Makes 40 meatballs.

Our weather is chilly (in the single digits) but
at least it’s not below zero during the day;
just before I went to bed last night I glanced
out at our thermometer to see the temp:
minus 14 – ah, yes – that’s cold!

Since it’s mid-Winter and we’re getting the ‘usual’ for Michigan at this time of year, I’m not surprised at our temperatures (they can always get worse!). Having heard from a few of you about YOUR temperatures, I’m not complaining. We ended up canceling my special needs group last night due to below zero temps; it’s supposed to get much worse tonight (right now our temp is hovering at zero with -17 wind chills) – that’s why I’m STAYIN’ IN! At times like these I tend to let my mind wander to what I could/should be doing – like cleaning (NAW – don’t feel like THAT!), read my book? I’m almost done with the last installment of the ‘Alphabet’ series by Sue Grafton (finishing up about 25 pages of “I is for Innocent” – just reserved J-K-L & M). Knitting? Yesterday I finished up 2 more baby hats, straightened out a ‘mess’ on a 2-row pattern scarf (one of those “so easy you could do it in your sleep’ patterns) – apparently I can’t! Took it to Knit Night thinking “easy” – ended up discovering somehow I’d knit the purl row and then continued on that vein for another 5-6 rows while chatting with my friends – UGH! Ripped back to the ‘regular’ row and got ‘back on track’; knit a few more rows on the baby afghan – it’s a little over half done now and is a bit heavy; this is one I’ll be glad I’m done with. When will I EVER learn to not go with the ‘fancy’ patterns??? Sigh…

That’s what’s ‘happening’ around here
lately. Tomorrow we have our grandson
all day – no school this week. Now that
he’s a bit older, it’s a little easier to keep
him amused. He likes playing video &computer games plus he usually brings
something he likes to play on/with; ought
to keep us busy. Middle son is coming over
to get some paperwork/medical stuff
arranged – looks like I’m in for a busy day.

Stay warm – maybe drink something
that warms you up (cocoa/tea/coffee),
snuggle a little under a nice warm wrap/
blanket, slip in a quick nap or read a good
book – something that YOU like doing.
Last night I was reading my book, middle
son had stopped over for awhile and fell
asleep on the couch. I didn’t realize it
but woke up suddenly when youngest
came home from work – funny, the house
was quiet, nice & warm – perfect for a
quick nap! Never underestimate the power
of a “Power Nap”! (at least you can CALL
it that if you’re caught taking one! hehe)

Got up today, knowing we’d be going to church and not really ‘thinking’ about what the outside temperatures would be UNTIL I peeked out and saw that our outdoor thermometer read -8 F. -that’s COLD! When we got in the car, the car temp. read -10 and stayed that way until we got to church where it read -12 (our church is located kind of in the country). It was nice to see that quite a few brave souls made it out, even WITH the cold. The real test will be later when I have to go back (choir practice 4:30 p.m., then evening church) and get out around 7:45 p.m.; somehow I KNOW it’s going to be really cold in my car (and no automatic starter to help things along). Oh well, I’m a born & raised Michigan Girl – I can handle this! (Thanks to those of you who commented on my last post about YOUR temperatures – even though it’s cold here, I can be happy it’s not COLDER, like one of you wrote!) There’s always a blessing if we just but LOOK for it, right?

Had to go out early this morning to deliver the last of the knit hats & scarves for the other knit group (the one that gives to 4 homeless shelters in our area). Husband looked out the window and said: “Looks like only about 1/4 inch (snow)”. I went out – it was more like TWO inches; mind you, it’s the really light, fluffy kind, but it was all over the place. Drove 35/40 in a 50 MPH zone, everyone was doing the same – the roads were a little ‘dicey/slippery’. I’d totally forgotten about driving over a bridge near the other knit group location (used to live out that way) – the wind was REALLY whipping up, blowing snow off the lake onto the roads/windshields, etc. in effect causing an almost ‘white-out’ condition. Glad that bridge is short! The temps when I got in my car were showing 17; by the time I drove back home it was 13. Just putting my packages in my car at KMart made my face REALLY hurt! Wind chill minus 7 – no wonder! SO GLAD I’m safely back home!

Today is another ‘chiller’ day; 12 degrees F. out there with a wind chill of minus 1. Husband informed me it’s supposed to be this cold through Sunday – oh, joy . . . 80% chance of snow tonight and the HIGH expected Sunday of 1 degree BELOW ZERO! Oh, goody! This is when we thank the Lord for a warm house, warm clothing, food in the fridge & pantry, a car that runs, etc. It’s time to count the little (and sometimes BIG) blessings, folks – they’re out there, those blessings. Sometimes we tend to forget about them, but they’re there giving us blessings. I, personally, like to thank the LORD for all He’s done for me, my family & friends. We’ve been through a lot but His blessings never cease.

NOTE: The extra-large muffin pan liners are
needed to hold all the batter in the muffin
pan cups. IF you don’t have extra-large or giant
liners, spoon batter into 16 paper-lined muffin
cups instead. Bake 23-25 minutes or until
toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes
out clean.

Hope you have a nice, cozy, WARM day –
remember to do something ‘special’ for
yourself or someone else today; it’s a
good way to ‘un-jinx’ this goofy calendar
day (by the way, there’s another one coming
up NEXT month!) I don’t remember Friday
the 13th coming up in two months in a row
before – do you? (maybe I just never noticed).

Had to go for a routine check-up to my doctor’s today – was really surprised that such a sunny, clear day would produce temps. of 7 degrees F with wind chill of -12 (no WONDER I was freezing!) You really learn just how efficient your car’s heater is in temps like these (mine is not too great, usually takes about 5 minutes before you feel anything).

Nothing much new around here, still working on the baby afghan (am about half done now). It’s a very nice looking pattern but rather tedious (but then – I knew that).

Hope you’re able to stay nice & warm during
these cold winter days; we DO know that Spring
is on the way – that’s a relief, eh? (Bad part is:
we who live in the great state of Michigan also
know that there will be more snow in our future
BEFORE we see Spring! All part of the ‘enchant-
ment’ of living in the Great Lakes State!).

I’ve started the next ‘three story’ volume ofSue Grafton‘s Alphabet murder/mystery
series (she writes from A to Z, “A is for Alibi”,
B/Burglar etc.) – I’ve just stared “G is for Gumshoe”.
I like the way she writes so reading goes quickly;
it’s also nice to know I have a lot of alphabet still
to come!

Got to watch (what I think is the first of the new
series) “Suits” last night. I must admit – after
watching I went to our OnDemand to preview
the other episodes just to see if I had missed
something – for some reason, it didn’t all ‘mesh’
together – I felt like I was watching the show for
the first time; couldn’t quite figure out what was
going on! Weird! I like that show – it’s a little ‘raw’,
I like the development of the characters. For actual
character development, I must admit my loyalty
to “Downton Abbey” on PBS – this is now Season 5
and they really keep things moving! This is one of
those programs where, if you haven’t watched it
before, you might have a bit of trouble figuring out
all the backgrounds, sub-plots, characters, etc. They
do an excellent job of moving the story line along –
I really look forward to each new episode.

Guess I’d better wrap this one up – time to go get
all cozy with my book!